Homeowners who Built their Own Home, Part 3 of 3

Good Morning,


   Welcome back. Hope your weekend went well. Aside from some painfully stifling humidity here in the Northeast and some massive storms, it was nice to get together with some family (and to take shelter when the storms hit !)

   Today, we will be completing the final installment on our series on the Home-building process, and we will be hearing from some people who have gone through the process of building their own home. This will provide some valuable insight and tips from people who have already gone through the process, from start to finish.

   We spoke with a couple of homeowners who built their own home. One of the people that we spoke with and who built her own home in Washington State is K.S.Brooks, who is also an author, and we also spoke with Richard Keycon, who built his own home in East Central Alabama.

   Brooks suggests getting to know all of the "local building permit requirements before you buy your parcel and start your project.", as counties usually have different requirements, and that it is important to know the Building Department Inspectors and Coordinators.

   Keycon adds that once you identify the area, you need to find a land agent, and drive around to see every part of the property. They were looking for a very specific parcel, with about "20-30 acres, not many neighbors, a creek, maybe a pond or pond site, and a good building site." Once they settled on the property and purchased it, they asked their land agent and some locals to recommend a builder. Once they selected the builder, they agreed on the building fee, and moved forward from that point.

   The entire process involves a lot of work, as Brooks states, and she says that you should, "Be prepared to be at the house every day either working on or managing the project." and to "take responsibility" for it. She also said to never use the response, "whatever you think is best" when the builder ask you to make choices.

   Both Brooks and Keycon both agree that you need to do your research and comparison shop well in advance, since some items require lead-time for delivery, i.e appliances, counter tops, plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, windows, doors, etc.

   As far as environmental impact, Brooks summarizes it as, "Lean towards green, but don't be over-zealous.", and gives us this specific example, "We explored installing a Geo-thermal heating/cooling system for our SIP (structural insulated panel) home. Because SIPs are air tight and incredibly efficient, and with the low cost of hydro-powered electricity in Eastern Washington, it would have taken us 20 years to reap a return-on-investment for Geo-thermal. Instead, we went with a high-efficiency wood burning fireplace, with standard HVAC as a back-up. The result: our 1700 square foot 100% electrically-run house is generating electric bills under $60 per month."

   In closing, Brooks states that it is vital to make lists for everything (parcel, vendors, materials, etc.), and Keycon agrees and says that planning is key and that when searching for a builder, to remember that, "All builders are not created equal".

   We definitely hope that this series has been helpful to you in one or many ways. Remember that there are many builders who build homes and will then Rent them with an Option to Buy (Rent to Own Homes), so it requires a little bit of homework on your end to find these builders.

   If you have any question, we area always available to respond to them. We will be back to our regular Blog posts on Wednesday, since we have a lot of interesting information and topics to cover.

Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !

The Home Building Process, Part 2 of 3

Good Morning,


   Today, we will be covering part 2 of our 3-part series on the Home-building process. In part 1, this past Wednesday, we took a look at the process from the first meeting between a future property-owner, the building company and general contractor. For a different perspective, now we will look at some additional tips from both a property manager and from an interior designer.

   From the angle of a property manager, we spoke with Blake Appleby, President of Cornerstone Property Management, Inc. in Colorado, who has almost two decades of experience managing large mountain homes, and he provided some additional pointers to be aware of during and after the process.

   Primarily, Appleby states that it is important to give consideration to where snow or rain will shed from the roof, to avoid snow, ice, or rain shedding on entry ways, decks, in front of garage doors or other areas that might interfere with basic usage of the home, as it can result in, "snow removal nightmares and added expense." He also reminds us that, "Complex roof designs can lead to ice build up and subsequent roof leaks in winter months."

   In addition, Appleby suggests using climate appropriate building materials on the exterior home, which will also save time and money (taking into consideration the, "temperature fluctuations, amounts of moisture, harmful direct sunlight and any other factors that might cause the exterior to deteriorate more quickly than normal."), and additionally, to install a leak detection system.

   As far as the interior of the home, he suggests keeping the use of technology as simple as possible, and while the latest gadgets are "impressive in the showroom", home integration can be very complex. Appleby suggests to, "stick with simple dial thermostats for climate control.", and to avoid computer controlled lighting.

   In keeping with the interior of the home, we spoke with Jo-Ann Capelaci, an interior designer with Colours & Concepts Interior Design, in California. Capelaci recommends that you, "Ensure that the interior design reflects the style of the outside of the home.", and to select all interior finishes, i.e. flooring, tile, cabinets, paint, etc, and to "produce a book to include all specifications". She suggests doing this before construction begins, if possible.

   Additionally, Capelaci suggests preparing the flooring plan, tile floor plans and elevations, electrical and lighting plan and furniture plan, select the furniture, window treatments, lighting and accessories, and to prepare the budget for these items and purchase them so that when construction is complete, these items are all ready. She suggests to, "enlist the help of a design professional, even if it is to confirm your choices and make recommendations.", since, "Designers truly do see things in a different way and assist clients to do things they might not have even known were possible"

   In closing, Appleby added another fantastic tip - To make sure that you "have records of the make and model of boilers, HVAC units and any other critical components in the home.", because if you need a service call, this can limit the amount of time with no heat, hot water etc. Additionally, Appleby adds that it is important to keep up with "basic preventative maintenance", such as cleaning gutters, dryer vents, changing HVAC filters and having your heating and cooling systems serviced once a year.

   We hope these tips have been helpful. Tune in on Monday for the final part of this 3-part series, where we will speak with some people who have gone through the actual process of building their own home, which will provide a very unique perspective for those of you interested in doing so.

Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !